Charles leyer



(No Model.)

0. LEVER.

ELECTRIC LAMP. No. 255,521. Patented Mar. 28,1882.

PETERS Fholo-Lilhuqmplwn Wnhingiolu u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LEVER, OF BOVDON, COUNTY OF CHESTER, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,521, dated March28, 1882,

Application tiled August 18, 1881. (No model.) Patented in EnglandAugust 1S, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES LEVER, of Bowdon,in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Electric Lamps, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has for its object improved means of regulating the voltaicare for the production of the electric light.

The improvements to which the invention applies are intended to be usedin connection with electric lamps where the light results from theelectric current passing between points or pencils of carbon.

These improvements are intended to eii'rct automatically the followingoperations, viz: first, to separate the carbon points to the requireddistance for the display of the voltaic are; second, to allow one of thecarbon pencils to be fed iorward to compensate for the consumption whichtakes place when the electric current is passing between the points orpencils of carbon; third, when the current is interrupted toinstantaneously bring the carbon points into contact with each other.

I accomplish the first part of my invention by allowing the force of anelectro-magnet in circuit with the carbon points to act on armatureswhich can oscillate on pivots, and provided with springs fixed to thearmatures, but arranged eccentrically to the-axes on which the armaturesare pivoted. These armatures and springs are aranged on both sides of acarbon-holder capable of sliding through suitable bearings, so that whenthe electro-magnet is excitedit willattract the armatures by means ofpolarized screws, hereinafter described, and consequently the springsattached thereto will impinge on the sides of the movable carbonholdercarrying one of the carbon points, and by their eccentric motion willraise one of the carbon points to the required distance for the displayof the voltaic arc.

\Vith regard to the second and last part of this invention the springsand armatures are arranged on either side of the upper or movablecarbon'holder, so that when the electromagnet is not excited theupper-carbon holder, with its carbon pencil, will slide freely by theforce of gravitation between the springs of the armatures, andconsequently the upper carbon pencil will rest on the lower carbon, thuscompleting the electrical connection; but as, when the current ispassing, the resistance of the voltaic arc will increase as the carbonsare consumed, the force which the electro-magnet will exert on thearmatures will decrease until the upper-carbon holder will by its ownweight overcome the force of the electro-maguet, tending to keep itraised, and so by the force of gravity will fall, thus automaticallylessening the distance between the carbon points.

The polarized screws referred to in the first part of my inventionconsist of ordinary iron screws of a suitablediameter and length, whichpass through the poles of the electro-magnet, and are consequentlypolarized or rendered magnetic when the electroniagnet is excited, andare provided with milled heads, preferably of brass or other diamagneticmaterial. The part which these polarized screws is intended to play is,first, to attract, in virtue of their induced magnet-ism, the armaturcs,and consequently to raise the upper carbon pencil; and, secondly, to actas limits or stops for regulating the distance between the carbon pointsfor the production of the voltaic arc.

In order that my invention may be fully understood and carried intoeffect, I will proceed to describe the annexed drawings.

Figure l is a front view of the lamp. E E is an eleetro-magnet, of whichA is the armature and c c the poles, the section of which is prel'erablysquare,in order that the electromagnet may be fixed on the brass box b bb, and secured by means of nuts a a to flanges cast on each side of thebox. I I is a suitable piece of insulating materiaL-such as wood orvulcanite-upon which the brass box I) b b, carrying the electro-magnetand the regulators,is fixed, and onto which are also fixed the hindlug-screws B B and the conducting-frame I F I carrying the lower-carbonholder T and carbon rod C. The brass box I) b b has a hole drilled inthe top and bottom, through which slides freely the upper-carbon holderT, carrying the carbon red C, and which can be prolonged through thearmature A, if desired. The regulators are constructed of two suitablepieces of iron, 1) 1), through which are drilled eccentrically two holesto admitof two pivots, respectively, which are secured to the brass boxI) b I), so that these pieces of iron or armatures will move freely onthe pivots. Two springs, s s, of a suitable tension, are arrangedsemicircularly on the armatures, but eccentrically to the axis 011 whicheach armature is pivoted, and these springs can be fixed by means ofsmall screws 1' 1' r r, or in any other convenient manner.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing one of the regulators complete.

Referring again to Fig. 1, the two regulators are so fixed by theirpivots that when in their normal position-that is, when the polarizedscrews P P, passing through the poles c c of the electro-magnet E E ,arenot magnetizedthe upper-carbon holder T, carrying the carbon rod 0, willslide freely by the force of gravity onto the lower carbon rod, G. Thewires to to a to show the electrical connections.

The action of this lamp is as follows: The current,enteringatthebinding-screwB,passes from thence through the coils of theelectromagnets E E, then through the upper-carbon holder T and thecarbon rod 0, through the lower carbon rod, 0, and holder T to thehinding'sercw B, or vice versa. \Vhen, however, the current flowsthrough the coils of the electro-inagnet E E, the screws P P arepolarized or magnetized, and will consequently attract the armatures ac,and the springs s 8, being arranged eccentricaily to theaxes on whichthe armatures a a are pivoted, will impinge on the sides of theupper-carbon holder T and will therefore by this eccentric motion raisethe carbon rod 0 and so display the voltaic arc, the length of which isadjusted by turning the polarized screws P P in one direction or theother, as may be required; but as the resistance of the arc willincrease as the carbons are consumed, the current flowing through thecoils of the electro-magnet E E will decrease. Con sequently the electro-magnet and polarized screws P P will gradually lose their magnetismuntil a point is reached when the force which gravitation exerts on theupper-carbon holder T will overcome the force exerted by the polarizedscrews P P on the armatures ca, tending to keep the upper carbon rod, C,raised, and it will therefore be lowered; but immediately this takesplace the electro-magnet E E and polarized screws P P will regain theirmagnetic power, because the resistance of the arc will have diminished,and therefore the carbon rod 0 will again be raised to the distanceregulated by the polarized screws P P, and these two actions will takeplace simultaneously until the carbons are consumed. Should the currentbe interrupted from any cause whatsoever, the upper carbon, C, willinstantly be brought into contact with the lower carbon, C.

The screws 5 8 preferably of non-magnetic material, are used for thepurpose of preventing the ends of the armatures a a, from falling out ofthe range of attraction of the polarized screws P P when theupper-carbon holder T is falling, and should be so adjusted that theupper-carbon holder T and carbon rod 0 will just slide freely by theforce of gravity between the springs s s of the armatures a to.

Another modification of regulator, on the same principle as that alreadydescribed, is shown in Fig. 3, whereit will beseen the springs 8 s areonly fixed at one end of each armature. In consequence of thepeculiarity of this motion, and the novel manner of applying the forceof the electro-magnet to the arinatures by means of polarized screws andthe sensitiveness of this regulator, it is believed that the regulationof the voltaic arc will be rendered more effectual by this inventionthan by any other at present in use.

1 claim as my invention 1. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination ofthe ecceutrically-pivoted armatures a a, the springs s s, and theelectro-magnet E E, and circuit-connections to the carbon points,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an electric-arc lamp, the electro-inagnet in circuit with thecarbons and the polarized adjustable stop-screws P P, inserted throughthe poles, in combination with armatures and with means for moving thecarbon rod to adjust and regulate the distance between the carbonpoints, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric-arc lamp,theelectro-maguet E E, theeccentricatty-pivoted armatures a a, the springs s s, and the polarizedscrews P P, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

CHARLES LEVEP.

Witnesses:

JAS. FREDK. PHILLIPs, E. S. BREWER.

